Saturday, 15 October 2016

My DT project for October was this canvas, and I've broken it down into steps for you, so you can see how I put it together.

I started with a small square canvas (approx 8x8"). You could use a blank canvas, but as I volunteer in a charity shop, I come across a lot of canvases that either don't sell, or are not in great condition, so I often use those as a starting point. I get a cheap canvas, and it doesn't end up in the bin. Win-win!

So my first step (whether the canvas is blank or not), is usually to cover it in gesso. Once that dried, I chose a couple of stencils and spread texture paste through them on various places on the canvas. It helps to arrange the elements you want to use on the canvas beforehand, so you have some idea of where you'd like the texture to go, but it's not the end of the world if you forget, because you can always add more later! Mixed media is so very forgiving, and you can go back and layer as many times as you like. Don't like the texture? Scrape it off. The colour wrong? Paint over it.

As well as the texture paste, I also spread some crackle paste around where my focal point was going to be, and in some of the corners too. Also, when using a deep canvas, don't forget the sides so it looks great from all angles!

Next, I painted the canvas with acrylic paints. I applied it with a baby wipe (not too wet, or it wipes straight back off again, lol), which makes for a lovely blend of the colours. Once it's dry, it's a great time to add more stencilling (I inked some honeycomb motifs on, which I forgot to photograph!) and/or stamping.

While waiting for the various stages to dry, I did the gesso-and-paint steps with a few of my elements too. Mostly MDF flourishes, plastic blooms and broken jewellery pieces which I also rescued from work.

A non-stick craft mat makes for a brilliant palette!

And then all that's left is the placement and layering of elements...

Corner flourishes look great layered with other elements.

And the focal piece has also been layered, and finished off with a die-cut word, inked a little to make it stand out a little more - but not too much, as I wanted a subtle, soft look for this canvas.

A chit-chat phrase - which I like to outline with a fine liner to make it pop - and some pearl string around the edges, and there it is, my finished canvas!

I hope you like it, and if it's inspired you to go get messy, don't forget to come and share the results with us when you're done.

Saturday, 1 October 2016

Hello everyone, Sammy here with the October Challenge here at Rhedd's Creative spirit.

We have some gorgeous inspiration lined up for you this month, but before we go take a peek at them, it's time to announce our September Winner and Runner up. As always, we had some beautiful entries this month.